Jets quarterback Tim Tebow on a film set at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. Tebow is the new spokesman for TiVo. / Todd Plitt, USA TODAY

by Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY

by Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY

The DVR pioneer, on the comeback trail after losing subscribers in recent years, is turning to the NFL's Tim Tebow to spread the company gospel. TiVo hired the famous backup quarterback of the New York Jets as its brand ambassador - and not just because of the similar sound to their names.

"The name connection is cool, but I'm not sure that's much of a reason to create a relationship like that," says TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, who admits the genesis of the idea came from his teenage son, who mistakenly thought a discussion he heard on the radio about Tebow was about TiVo.

"The more I thought about it, the more it worked on a number of levels."

Rogers makes the inevitable football comparisons. Passing? The new TiVo Stream (accessory), lets you literally pass your recordings from a TiVo DVR to an iPad. Navigating the field? TiVo boxes aim to help consumers navigate the fragmented nature of television.

Tebow is no techie. He doesn't lust after the next great thing, he admitted, while shooting TV commercials for TiVo that are set to air nationally starting Nov. 27. "I like having things easy, and that's something TiVo does for me."

But he does take his role of celebrity spokesman seriously. Tebow pitches Nike, Jockey, Soul Headphones and FRS health drinks, but he says he turns down way more endorsement opportunities than he accepts.

"I want people to believe ... I can honestly tell you with every product that I've endorsed I've used it and liked it."

What Tebow likes about TiVo: Because he spends a lot of time on airplanes, he relishes catching up on favorite shows Revenge and Castle. "Plus, TiVo learns me." He says he'll give the Showtime series Homeland a try based on a TiVo recommendation.

TiVo is adding a "Tim Tebow Zone" collection with recommendations of the quarterback's favorite TV shows, movies and content aimed at kids. The company is also donating up to $1 for each "like" on TiVo's official Facebook page (up to $25,000) to the Tim Tebow Foundation for children in need.

TiVo has to hope its relationship with Tebow works out better for them than his has with the Jets so far. The team has a losing record, and Tebow hasn't played a whole lot.

In the second quarter of this year, TiVo reported a net loss of $27 million. But its subscriber numbers are looking better, largely due to partnerships with cable companies. TiVo has 2.7 million subscribers, up from 1.9 million the year before but far from its peak of 4.4 million in early 2007.

"People still think TiVo is a one-dimensional product, a DVR," Rogers say. And to be sure, DVRs remain a key part of the company's business at retail, with models ranging from about $150 to $400, on top of service fees that are typically $14.99 a month.

TiVo's top new retail offering, TiVo Premiere XL4, has four TV tuners enabling you to record up to four shows at once, with a recording capacity of 300 HD hours. Like other recent TiVo boxes, it is tightly integrated with broadband content available from such online providers as Amazon, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube, along with the regular TV channels you watch.

But a big portion of TiVo's strategy as a company is to forge strategic relationships with cable operators around the world, with TiVo essentially become the plumbing inside the operator's equipment. "What they're doing right now - (and have been) trying to do things for years - is insert themselves into the people who control the set-top box," says Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg.

Rogers says the efforts are paying off. He says TiVo has successfully signed 75% to 80% of the cable companies in the U.S. and abroad that have reached a decision about whose advanced television technologies to use.

TiVo remains a solid brand. "Customers who have it, love it," says Ross Rubin, principal analyst with Reticle Research. The problem is there aren't enough of those customers.

That's where Tebow is being asked to move the pile. "Tim Tebow has unbelievable recognition as an athlete, as a young man, some of it controversial, yes," Rogers says. "But he has an enormous following. He's talked about. He brings attention. One of the things we want to accomplish here is having people take a look and recognize that we are something to talk about ourselves."

"People should be arguing about isn't there a better way to watch television and why are you satisfied with the box from your cable operator when it doesn't begin to do justice to that $2,000 investment you made in a beautiful high-definition television set. Let's get that controversy going," Rogers says.

Tebow was non-committal about whether anyone TiVo-ing an upcoming Jets game will see more of him on the field. "I'm ready and willing to do whatever they ask me to do. I'm excited about any opportunity that I'm given, and I want to make the most of those opportunities."